Jaguars 23, Falcons 7: Game Balls
The Jacksonville Jaguars are likely the only team in the NFL that can win a game in Wembley Stadium and consider it a ‘home-win.’ Regardless of the geographical implications, the Jaguars picked up a much-needed 23-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Jacksonville won this game in large part due to their defensive front; the pass-rush duo of Travon Walker and Josh Allen was special on Sunday, and could be for a long time. The tandem are credited with all four of the team’s sacks, with Allen adding two tackles for loss for good measure.
Once the edge rushers started to get home the Jacksonville secondary was able to capitalize, completely shutting down the Falcons passing game and forcing two interceptions. The cornerback play was especially impressive, with Falcons wide receivers combining for just 47 yards; less than a quarter of Atlanta's 191 total passing yards.
With the defense surging, inconsistencies on the offensive side of the ball were able to be ignored. As usual, quarterback Trevor Lawrence made some fantastic throws and for the most part kept the offense humming.
While it wasn’t a day to write home about, it was more than enough to get back in the win column. It’s a win they badly needed with the Buffalo Bills up next in the second of a two-game stint in London for the Jaguars.
Before looking ahead, however, this game needs to be enjoyed and standout performances need to be recognized. After dropping two straight, the sense of relief in the Jacksonville locker room right now must be palpable.
Consider this the icing on the cake.
Offense: WR Christian Kirk
Could Lawrence have won this week’s offensive game ball? Certainly. Would that be any fun? Not this much.
Wide receiver Christian Kirk had yet another standout performance on Sunday, securing eight of 12 targets for 84 yards against the Falcons. While it was his running mate Calvin Ridley who would catch the team’s only offensive touchdown, Kirk bailed out the offense with some clutch catches time and time again on Sunday.
The former Arizona Cardinal set the tone early, securing a 10-yard grab midway through the first to move the chains on fourth and one. On the following drive he hauled in a 30-yard catch to bring the Jaguars within field goal range, and in the second half converted a third-and-long with a gain of 11.
After a 1,100-yard effort in his first season with the organization, Kirk has strung together three consecutive games with 50+ receiving yards in the first month of the season. He is head and shoulders the team’s most productive pass-catcher, nearly matching the red-hot start he got off too last season.
Given his current pace, a second 1,000-yard campaign is all but guaranteed for the offense’s most productive player.
Defense: EDGE Josh Allen
When Allen set a new career-high in sacks with three against the Colts in week one, I didn’t think he would replicate that performance again anytime soon. Let alone just three weeks later.
If you held a similar sentiment, Allen is making the both of us eat quite a bit of crow on this fine victory Monday.
After being held without a sack for two consecutive games, the former Kentucky Wildcat got back on track in a big way on Sunday. The impact of his dominant three-sack, one forced fumble statline speaks for itself, but beyond the box score was the kind of performance that has a ‘domino effect’ throughout a defense.
After a three and out on their opening drive, the Falcons reached 3rd and one following a 5-yard penalty on the Jags. Enter Josh Allen, who took down the Cincinnati product for a loss of eight.
On the Falcons ensuing drive Allen again got home on third down, this time corralling Ridder for a loss of 14. Allen demanded more offensive attention after single-handedly forcing the last two punts, and the Jacksonville secondary was quick to capitalize on the rattled Ridder with the aforementioned back-to-back interceptions.
Allen’s constant pressure unlocked everything for this defense and allowed them to neutralize the passing game as an effective option for the Falcons. Those kinds of performances don’t happen often, unless you have Josh Allen.
Special Teams: K Brandon McManus
The Jaguars scored 23 points on Sunday; six from Ridley, six from cornerback Darious Williams on a wild 61-yard pick-six, and eleven from Brandon McManus. Despite punter Logan Cooke’s strong showing, with McManus’s leg this one looks a whole lot closer and a whole lot uglier.
McManus got started early and nailed his first kick of the day from 56 to put the Jaguars up 10 in the first quarter, quickly shaking off whatever ‘yips’ were plaguing him against Houston. The former Bronco added three from 43 and 38 in the second half and converted two PATs to silence any doubts regarding his job security.
It was not only his best game to date in the teal and black, and his highest-scoring game since 2021. For a player whose future was seriously in question after being cut by the Broncos this offseason, McManus is turning heads for all the right reasons in Duval County.
